N.L.’s MerB’ys fishing for a world record

MerB’ys calendar organizer Hasan Hai hopes to break a Guinness world record for the most people dressed as mermaids and mermen in one place in St. John’s this June. - Submitted

Calendar group looks to photograph most merpeople in one spot, ever, for charity

The MerB’ys are back, and looking to make a splash with the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records.

MerB’y Hasan Hai put a call out two days ago, looking for anyone interested in breaking a world record for most people dressed as mermen and mermaids in one place, with a tentative gathering date set for June 23rd.

Hai was behind the successful MerB’ys calendar fundraiser, which featured burly, bearded men dressed as mermen.

One would think this kind of record doesn’t already exist, but it does. Apparently, a group of 325 mermaids recently gathered in Europe, so Hai has some scaly competition. But he’s up for the challenge.

“I don’t want to just beat that, I want to annihilate that number,” he declared, adding: “I think a thousand is a nice, reasonable number.”

If the online sign-up is any indication, he is well on his way to achieving that goal.

Just two days in to this idea and Hai is awash with volunteers—over 400 people have already signed up for the event.

“People are really excited about having their kids come out, and whole families are going to do it,” said Hai, noting this event is different from the MerB’ys calendar in that way.

While the calendar featured bearded men, this will be a family friendly event open to anyone who would like to don a tail and break a record for a good cause.

“It’s just one more fun way of bringing people together,” he said.

The goal is to raise funds for a local charity, likely by asking participants to donate a couple of dollars if they’re able. But those details are yet to be ironed out.

Just a few weeks ago, the MerB’ys raised more than $300,000 for mental health with their bearded mermen calendar sales, and they accomplished that feat in about three months.

So, Hai feels confident that with five months to go, he’ll not only break a world record, but also make another sizable donation to a local charity.

The exact location of the gathering is yet to be determined. Hai says it will have to be somewhere with plenty of space for people and their tails, such as Bowring Park or Cape Spear.

Meantime, he’s looking for anyone who can help out with this event, from donations of fabric to make tails, to volunteer sewers, sponsors, and participants.

The potentially record-breaking photo will be featured in the next MerB’ys calendar, which is also in the works.